Israel killed at least 10 Palestinians across Gaza as the United states announced progress to the second phase of a 20-point ceasefire deal with Hamas to end the conflict.
The Wafa news agency reported that the Israeli military bombed two houses belonging to the al-Hawli and al-Jarou families in the central town of Deir el-Balah on Thursday evening, with health officials confirming a 16-year-old was among six killed.
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The Israeli military stated that one of the victims, Muhammad al-Hawli, was a commander in the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas.
Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim al-Khalili, reporting from Gaza City, confirmed that a “senior figure of the Qassam Brigades” had been killed, and the attack underscored Israel’s intention to define phase two of the ceasefire “on its terms”.
Israel has set the terms of the next phase, which will establish a Palestinian technocratic administration overseen by an international “Board of Peace,” with the option of “escalation” remaining.
Elsewhere in Gaza,at least one person was shot dead by israeli forces near Al-Alam roundabout,west of Rafah city.Another person was killed in an Israeli attack on a police post near Al-Nablusi Junction, southwest of Gaza City, and two more people were killed in an Israeli air attack on the Al-Khatib family home in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central gaza.
‘Despicable crime’
Hamas condemned the targeting of the al-Hawli home as a “despicable crime,” saying it revealed the “contempt” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the October ceasefire, but did not confirm the death of its commander.
At least 451 Palestinians, including more than 100 children, have been reported killed since the ceasefire took effect. Israel has ordered residents out of more than half of Gaza, where its troops remain behind an apparently mobile “yellow line.”
Three Israeli soldiers have been killed over the same period.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff announced on X on Wednesday that the second phase of the 20-point plan to end the conflict had begun, “moving from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction.”
The next phase will bring “the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel,” he said, referencing Hamas, which has not publicly committed to full disarmament.
The plan also calls for deploying an International Stabilisation Force to secure Gaza and train vetted Palestinian police units.
The 15-member technocratic committee, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, will manage day-to-day governance, but broader political and security issues, including Israel’s post-war withdrawal, remain unresolved.
Ali Shaath, a former deputy minister in the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, has been appointed to lead the committee, which is meeting in Egypt to prepare for entering the territory, according to Egyptian state television.
In a recent interview, Shaath said the committee would rely on “brains rather than weapons” and would not coordinate with armed groups.
‘A step in the right direction’
Senior Hamas official bassem Naim welcomed the committee’s establishment on Thursday, calling it “a step in the right direction” and signaling the armed group was ready to hand over administration of Gaza.
“This is crucial for consolidating the ceasefire, preventing a return to war, addressing the catastrophic humanitarian crisis and preparing for comprehensive reconstruction,” he said.
“The ball is now in the court of the mediators, the American guarantor and the international community to empower the committee,” he added.
The US-proposed Board of Peace is expected to be led by Bulgarian diplomat and politician Nickolay Mladenov.
Reuters reported that invitations were sent Wednesday to potential Board of Peace members personally selected.
‘Human remains’ in the rubble
The first phase began on October 10 and included a complete ceasefire,the exchange of Israeli captives for Palestinian prisoners,and a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
However, Israel has restricted supplies entering Gaza, and nearly all of the territory’s more than 2 million people are struggling to survive winter in makeshift or damaged buildings.
As Al Jazeera’s al-Khalili put it, “the situation is going from bad to worse for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians who heard about the declaration of the second phase of the ceasefire, [with] nothing implemented on the ground”.
Jorge Moreira da Silva, head of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), said conditions were “inhumane” and called for accelerating reconstruction work. “We can’t wait, we can’t procrastinate,” he said Thursday after visiting the territory.
Da Silva said the launch of phase two marked a “ancient” chance to begin reconstruction, which he estimated would require $52bn, according to an assessment by the World Bank, the UN, and the European Commission.
Shaath said the committee would focus on providing urgent relief for Gaza, announcing he would bring in bulldozers to “push the rubble into the sea, and make new islands, new land”.
Israel’s onslaught on Gaza has left about 60 million tonnes of rubble scattered across the enclave, “with unexploded ordnance in the rubble, dangerous waste, and unfortunately also human remains”.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 71,441 Palestinians as it began on October 7, 2023.
